Kingston GPs given permission to buy Hook health centre (From Surrey Comet)

Kingston GPs given permission to buy Hook health centre

3:10pm Sunday 21st June 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

A pair of Hook GP practices have been given permission to buy their "leaky" and "cramped" surgery and spill over into the clinic next door.

But a plan to start a new "super surgery" walk-in centre nearby which patients fear could damage the livelihood of Orchard Practice is still going ahead.

Kingston NHS Primary Care Trust chief executive David Smith confirmed at a meeting on Wednesday night that he was willing to sell the Orchard Practice, which has received complaints it is too small for the 11,210 patients and is likely to be demolished and rebuilt.

The next door Gosbury Hill health centre will also be sold, allowing husband and wife team Drs Bala and Siva Balasingam, and Dr John Gray, to expand.

Colin Dance, chairman of the Orchard Practice patients’ involvement group, said: "This means hopefully we have secured the long term future of the facility once it has all been redeveloped for the next 20 years."

Meanwhile a mystery application has been put in to change the Old Coach House in Chessington in Elm Road from offices to a doctor’s surgery.

The application is on behalf of the Drake Pension Trust, a business not registered with Companies House, but residents believe it is being earmarked for use by the winner of the contract to run the GP walk-in centre.

Kingston PCT is currently deciding who will win the bid to run the new GP walk-in centre which will be open from 8am to 8pm.

It will provide cervical screening, minor surgery, maternity medical services, contraceptive services, as well as a normal GP surgery. But it will start with no patients.

The announcement of the contract was supposed to be made in April. The final bids were all handed in at the end of January.

• See our health news section for more articles like this

• Print
• Email
• Share